Patent GB-593737-A (GB)
Title: Improvement in multiple spindle lathe
IPC: B23K1/00
Filed: 1944-02-10
Abstract: 593,737. Lathes. CONE AUTOMATIC MACHINE CO., Inc. Feb. 10, 1944, No. 2505. Convention date, Dec. 19, 1942. [Class 83 (iii)] In a multiple spindle turret lathe, the turret is formed with peripheral sprocket teeth and is indexed by means of an endless chain engaging said teeth and driven from a sprocket wheel rotated by a Geneva-stop-motion. The framework of the machine comprises a base 1, end wall portions 2, 3 and 4 of a column housing the driving mechanism, supports 5 and 6 for spaced frame members 7, 7<1> and supporting walls 10 and 11. The turret 8, Fig. 1, is journalled in the frame members 7, 7<1> and the spindle 16, 20 is journalled also in hubs 14 and 15 in walls 10 and 11 in the compartment housing the driving mechanism. Hubs 14 and 15 also carry rotary plates 12 and 13 forming part of the rotating turret assembly and supporting the stock being fed to the spindles. Eight spindles are arranged around the shaft 20 and are driven by gears 22 meshing with a gear 21 on the shaft 20, alternate gears 22 being axially displaced and overlapping. Supported on a hollow shaft 24 surrounding the shaft 20 is a cylindrical tool carrier 27 for end-working tools secured to a slide 29 adapted to be actuated by a cam roller 30 from a cam drum 31 on an overhead cam shaft 32. Driving-gear ; Cam-shaft drives.-The shaft 20 and cam-shaft 32 are driven from a motor 42 connected by a belt 49 to a pulley 50, on a shaft 51, Fig. 15. A gear 58 mounted on the shaft 51 carries one part of a clutch with external teeth 64 meshing with a gear 70 on a shaft 71, so that on engagement of the clutch parts 64, 65 through the action of a yoke 66 secured to a rock shaft 67, the cam-shaft 32 is driven at a high speed from the shaft 71 through a worm 72 and worm-wheel 73. When the clutch 64, 65 is disengaged, the shaft 71 may be driven in the reverse direction through a gear 59, Fig. 16, meshing with the gear 58 and carrying a clutch part 75 also meshing with the gear 70. The clutch 80 of this reverse drive is also operated. from the rock-shaft 67. The cam shaft may also be driven at a selected low working speed from the shaft 51 through change gears 90, 91, shaft 92, gears 93, 95, shafts 95, 102, 105 all of which are connected by change gears, and worm 108 meshing with a worm-wheel 109 which drives shaft 71 through an overrunning clutch device 110 and a clutch element 113 operable from the rock shaft 67. The clutch parts 64, 75 and 113 may be operated manually from either the back or front of the machine by levers 142, 133, 159 coupled to levers 145, 130, 162 by rods which carry abutments 174, 176, 177 adapted to co-operate with a pivoted lever 170 to ensure that the forward drive and the reverse drive clutches are not engaged at the same time. The rockshaft 67 is normally actuated from the camshaft 32 through a lever 128 to control the high speed clutch and on the disengagement of said clutch, the shaft 71 is slowed down to the lower speed rate by means of brake shoes 122 applied to the gear 70 by the action of a cam-operated rock-shaft 125. The shaft 20 is driven from the shaft 92 through bevel gears 190, 192. Lubricating and coolant pumps 196, 195 may be driven through a chain from a sprocket 198 on the shaft 51. Turret rotating and locking mechanism.-The turret is rotated by means of a chain 215, Fig. 12, passing round the rotary plate 12 which is formed with sprocket teeth, round an idler sprocket 216 and round a sprocket ring 204 mounted on the hub of a Geneva wheel 201 having four slots 202 adapted to be engaged and operated by an arm 200 carried by the camshaft 32. A worm-wheel 207 carried by the Geneva wheel has an eccentric pin projecting into a radial slot in the sprocket ring 204 so that by a rotary adjustment of the wormwheel by means of two screw plugs 210, the position of the ring may be adjusted relatively to the Geneva wheel for small adjustments of the indexing position of the turret. A pin 222 at the end of a lever 220 may be engaged with the Geneva wheel for hand indexing if required. Longitudinally extending frame members 231 of the turret are formed with recesses 230 adapted to be engaged by a locking bolt 232, Fig. 9, after each indexing operation. The bolt is normally urged into locking position by springs 238 and is periodically disengaged, to allow the turret to be indexed, by means of a pin 243 carried by a bell crank lever 244, operated from the cam shaft 32. The bolt is of hardened steel and slides between gibs, having bearing surfaces made as described in Specification 593,785. Tool feed-motions ; gauging devices.-At each indexed position of the turret, the work spindles are positioned as shown in Fig. 14. The two at the top are adapted to co-operate with a slide 341 having tool carriers 340 and movable vertically by means of links 342 from rockarms 343 connected to a slide 346 actuated from a cam drum of the shaft 32. Adjustable stops 350 limit the downward feed of the tool slide. At each side of the machine are horizontal tool slides 300 with carriers 302 for tools to operate on the work carried by the upper side spindles and two horizontal slides 301 each with two carriers 303, 304 for tools to operate on work in the lower side and bottom positions. The carriers are adjustable within the slides by means of micrometer screws 318 and locknuts 319. The two lower slides 301 are operated by means of links 334 connected to vertical shafts 307, 308 having at their upper ends arms 325 actuated from the cam-shaft 32 as shown in Fig. 2, through cam rollers 328, 332 and links 326, 330. Similarly the two upper slides 300 are connected by links 320 to sleeves 305, 306 mounted on the upper parts of the shafts 307, 308 and actuated through cam rollers 311, 315 and links 309, 313. Adjustable screws 335 on the periphery of the turret actuate a rock-shaft 337 to control the position of stops limiting the forward feeds of the slides. Bar-feed spindles.-The stock is gripped by spring collets operated by axial movement in the usual manner. The axial movement is transmitted to the collet mechanism by means of shoes 372, Fig. 5, adapted to ride in a pair of arcuate tracks 373 and 374 during which time the collets are closed. Between the tracks 373 and 374 are short track sections 375 carried by a member 376 pivoted at 377 and adapted to be actuated by a cam roller 378 from the camshaft 32 so as to move the track sections 375 and the yokes engaging therewith to open the respective two collets. If the machine is to operate as a single eight-spindle machine instead of working in two sets of four spindles, the upper track section 375 is omitted.. Between the track 374 and the lower track section 375, the shoes enter a track section 382 which is manually operable by a lever 380 to allow fresh stock to be loaded into that particular spindle. When the collets are open, stock is fed forward at the upper and lower stations by reciprocating grippers actuated by means of shoes engaging fixed and movable track sections similar to those described for actuating the collet opening and closing mechanism. The feed is limited by stops 450 carried by arms 457 axially adjustable on rock shafts 452 which are actuated from the cam-shaft 32 through link 466 so that the stops are moved out of the path of the tools after the feeding movement has taken place. Specifications 528,694 and 593,747 and U.S.A. Specification 2,236,440 also are referred to.